Yield and mineral composition of two new onion varieties from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Onions are grown for a variety of purposes. The purpose of the production determines the choice of variety and growing technology. In this paper, the Federal Institute for Agriculture in Sarajevo introduces two new varieties-Konjica’s and Zenica's onion. The new varieties are specially developed for production from onion sets to suit the environmental conditions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This paper evaluates the new varieties production characteristics and their bulb mineral composition, tested in Butmir (Sarajevo municipality) over 2009 and 2010 with the Stuttgarter cultivar used as a standard. The new varieties are medium late, the plants are well developed and have erect leaves that are dark green in color and have a pronounced waxy coating. The new onion varieties significantly out-yielded the standard cultivar. Over two years, Konjica's onion yielded 30.68 t ha-1 on average (51% more than Stuttgarter cultivar), while Zenica's onion yielded 24.83 t ha-1 on average, 21% more than the standard cultivar. The mean concentrations of trace element in the bulbs of the new varieties were in the order: Zn>Fe>Mn>Cu indicating onions from Bosnia and Herzegovina as a good source of various vitamins and minerals important to maintain human health.